Medium separating and supplying mechanism

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a medium separating and supplying mechanism that may reduce the causes of jams and errors on a conveyance path and so forth from supply onward. Namely, by making the skew angle of a medium less than a limit angle θmax, at which skewing is regard to increase, when the medium reaches a gate portion, the present invention may prevent the medium from rotating at an overlap point in a direction in which the skew angle is increased, which occurs as a result of the medium reaching the overlap point.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a medium separating and supplying mechanism that uses rollers to separate and supply, one item at a time, paper sheet mediums such as banknotes, for example.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, medium separating and supplying mechanisms configured to separate and supply, one item at a time, mediums (banknotes) stacked in an ATM or the like, for example, have been proposed (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2008-273669).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 is given a configuration including pickup rollers 2 (2 a to 2 d), supply feed rollers 3 (3 a to 3 c), separation feed rollers 4 (4 a and 4 b), separation gate rollers 5 (5 a and 5 b), supply rollers 6 (6 a to 6 c), shafts 7, 8, and 9, and a side surface guide 10.

The pickup rollers 2 are arranged in a line in a direction (hereinafter this will also be called a width direction) orthogonal to a direction in which mediums P are supplied (hereinafter this will also be called a supply direction) below a region (hereinafter this will also be called a stacking area) 11, indicated by the hatching in FIG. 1, in which the mediums P are stacked inside the side surface guide 10, and the pickup rollers 2 are fixed to the shaft 7. The shaft 7 is rotatably supported by bearings and a fixed frame (not illustrated in the drawings).

The pickup rollers 2 have rubber disposed on part of their outer peripheral surfaces and are driven by a driver such as a motor (not illustrated in the drawings) via the shaft 7 to rotate in both forward and reverse directions (arrows 21 a and 21 b in the drawings).

The supply feed rollers 3 and the separation feed rollers 4 are arranged in the order of the supply feed roller 3 a, the separation feed roller 4 a, the supply feed roller 3 b, the separation feed roller 4 b, and the supply feed roller 3 c along the width direction on the supply direction downstream side of the pickup rollers 2 and are fixed to the shaft 8.

The shaft 8 is rotatably supported by bearings and a fixed frame (not illustrated in the drawings). The supply feed rollers 3 a and 3 c are arranged in positions farthest from the center in the range in which the mediums P can be held in order to stably hold the mediums P.

The supply feed rollers 3 have rubber disposed on their outer peripheral surfaces. The separation feed rollers 4 have three grooves (channels) of a predetermined width disposed in them along their entire circumferential direction, whereby channels and ridges are formed in the outer peripheral surfaces of the separation feed rollers 4. The separation feed rollers 4 have rubber disposed on part of the outer peripheral surfaces of the four ridges.

The supply feed rollers 3 and the separation feed rollers 4 are driven by a driver such as a motor (not illustrated in the drawings) via the shaft 8 to rotate in both forward and reverse directions (arrows 22 a and 22 b in the drawings).

The pickup rollers 2, the supply feed rollers 3, and the separation feed rollers 4 rotate synchronously via the shafts 7 and 8 due to a belt or the like (not illustrated in the drawings).

The separation gate rollers 5 are supported, in such a way as to be rotatable only in one direction (arrow 23 in the drawings), on the shaft 9 above the separation feed rollers 4. The separation feed rollers 4 and the separation gate rollers 5 will also be collectively called a gate portion 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, the separation gate rollers 5 have two grooves (channels), having a wider width than the width of the ridges of the separation feed rollers 4, formed in their outer peripheral surfaces so as to be in alignment with those ridges.

Additionally, the separation feed rollers 4 and the separation gate rollers 5 are arranged such that the ridges of one enter (overlap) the channels of the other. The separation gate rollers 5 have rubber disposed on the outer peripheral surfaces of their ridges.

The portions where the separation feed rollers 4 and the separation gate rollers 5 overlap one another will also be called overlap portions 13.

The supply rollers 6 are supported on a shaft (not illustrated in the drawings), such that they touch the supply feed rollers 3 on the downstream side of the separation gate rollers 5, and apply forces that press against the supply feed rollers 3 at positions (hereinafter these will also be called contact points) 14 at which the supply rollers 6 contact the supply feed rollers 3. The supply rollers 6 turn in conjunction with the rotation of the supply feed rollers 3 and rotate in both forward and reverse directions (arrows 24 a and 24 b in the drawings).

When the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 supplies the mediums P stacked in the stacking area 11 such as shown in FIG. 5, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 causes the pickup rollers 2 to rotate in the direction of arrow 21 a. From FIG. 5 on, for convenience of description, the mediums P will always be indicated by a solid line even in a case where they are positioned below the separation gate rollers and the supply rollers, for example, and the area inside the solid line will be indicated by a dot pattern.

By causing the pickup rollers 2 to rotate, as shown in FIG. 6, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 supplies a lowermost medium P1 of the mediums P stacked in the stacking area 11 to the gate portion 12.

At this time, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 also supplies mediums P2 and P3, placed on top of the medium P1, together with the medium P1 to the gate portion 12 in a staggered and stacked state because of friction, for example, between the mediums that arises in the rotational direction of the pickup rollers 2.

In the gate portion 12, the separation feed rollers 4 rotate in the direction of arrow 22 a, whereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the separation feed rollers 4 apply, to the medium P1, forces (hereinafter these will also be called feed forces) 41 (41 a and 41 b) that supply the mediums P.

When the mediums P1 to P3 try to pass through the gate portion 12 in a staggered and stacked state, the separation gate rollers 5 contact the mediums P2 and P3, the frictional force between the mediums P and the separation gate rollers 5 becomes larger than the frictional force between the mediums P, and the separation gate rollers 5 allow only the medium P1 to pass through the gate portion 12.

The medium P1 separated down to one item in the gate portion 12 is held at the contact points 14 by the supply feed rollers 3 and the supply rollers 6.

The supply feed rollers 3 and the supply rollers 6 rotate in the directions of arrows 22 a and 24 a, respectively, whereby the supply feed rollers 3 and the supply rollers 6 apply feed forces 42 (42 a to 42 c) to the held medium P1 and supply the medium P1 in the direction of arrow 25.

Incidentally, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, the side surface guide 10 is formed such that the stacking area 11 is larger than the mediums P, so there are also cases where, as shown in FIG. 8, the mediums P are stacked obliquely (skewed) with respect to the width direction in the stacking area 11. Further, there are also cases where the mediums P end up becoming skewed while being supplied even if they are stacked in an unskewed state with respect to the width direction.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, in a case where a medium P is not more oblique than a limit angle θmax (described in detail later) when the medium P has reached the gate portion 12, as shown in FIG. 9, the medium P supplied to the gate portion 12 as a result of the pickup rollers 2 rotating in the direction of arrow 21 a is first held by the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a so that the feed forces 41 a are applied to the medium P.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10, the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b so that the feed forces 41 b are applied to the medium P, and thereafter, the medium P is held by the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a and the feed force 42 a is applied to the medium P.

Then, the medium P is supplied in the direction of arrow 25 (FIG. 2) by the feed forces 41 of the separation feed rollers 4 and the separation gate rollers 5 and the feed forces 42 of the supply feed rollers 3 and the supply rollers 6.

SUMMARY Technical Problem

Incidentally, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 described above, in a case where the medium P that has reached the gate portion 12 is skewed at a larger angle than the limit angle θmax with respect to the width direction, this ends up increasing the skew when supplying the medium P.

Here, the limit angle θmax will be described. In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, as shown in (1) of FIG. 11, a length L1 from the supply direction rearmost end of the inside of the side surface guide 10 to the overlap portions 13 and a length L2 from the overlap portions 13 to the contact points 14 are each found.

Additionally, considering the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 in a case where the lengths L1 and L2 are rendered as straight lines, as shown in (2) of FIG. 11, the overlap portions 13 are positioned in the position of the length L1 on the downstream side from the supply direction rearmost end of the inside of the side surface guide 10, and the centers of the separation feed rollers 4 and the separation gate rollers 5 are arranged in a line in the up-and-down direction.

Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, the contact points 14 are positioned in the position of the length L2 on the downstream side from the overlap portions 13, and the centers of the supply rollers 6 are arranged in such a way as to be positioned above the contact points 14. The sum of the lengths L1 and L2 is a length L3.

Additionally, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, as shown in (3) of FIG. 11, a contact point 14 a between the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a, which make up a set farthest from the center among the sets of the supply feed rollers 3 and the supply rollers 6, is selected.

In actuality, the sets farthest from the center are the set made up of the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a and the set made up of the supply feed roller 3 c and the supply roller 6 c. However, for the purpose of description, the set made up of the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a is used, but the same also holds true in a case where the set made up of the supply feed roller 3 c and the supply roller 6 c is used.

Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, among the sets of the separation feed rollers 4 and the separation gate rollers 5, the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b arranged in the position farthest from the set made up of the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a are selected. Additionally, the position nearest to the contact point 14 a in an overlap portion 13 b between the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b is selected as an overlap point 31.

Additionally, in a case where the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 is seen from above, the angle formed by a straight line 32 that joins the contact point 14 a and the overlap point 31 and a straight line 33 that passes through the centers of the separation feed rollers 4 and the separation gate rollers 5 and is parallel to the width direction, is defined as the limit angle θmax.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, in a case where the medium P is skewed at a larger angle θ than the limit angle θmax with respect to the width direction and has reached the gate portion 12, the medium P reaches the contact point 14 a between the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a before the medium P reaches the overlap point 31.

In this case, the feed force 42 a resulting from the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a, and the feed forces 41 a resulting from the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a become applied to the medium P.

Thereafter, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, when the medium P reaches the overlap point 31, as shown in FIG. 12, the medium P ends up rotating about the overlap point 31 in the direction in which the skew angle is further increased because of these feed forces 41 a and 42 a.

Specifically, the following cases are conceivable. First, a case where, as shown in FIG. 13, an angle θ at which a medium P stacked in the stacking area 11 is skewed is larger than the limit angle θmax, will be described.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, when the pickup rollers 2 rotate in the direction of arrow 21 a and supply the medium P to the gate portion 12, as shown in FIG. 14, the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a, and thereafter the medium P reaches the contact point 14 a between the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, as shown in FIG. 15, when the medium P has reached the overlap point 31, the medium P rotates about the overlap point 31 in the direction in which the skew angle is further increased because of the feed force 42 a resulting from the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a and the feed forces 41 a resulting from the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a.

Further, as another example, a case where, as shown in FIG. 16, a medium P stacked in an unskewed state in the stacking area 11 has become skewed at a larger angle θ than the limit angle θmax while being supplied to the gate portion 12 by the pickup rollers 2 will be described.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, as shown in FIG. 17, the medium P that has become skewed at a larger angle θ than the limit angle θmax while being supplied by the pickup rollers 2 is held by the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a, and thereafter the medium P reaches the contact point 14 a between the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, as shown in FIG. 18, when the medium P has reached the overlap point 31, the medium P rotates about the overlap point 31 in the direction in which the skew angle is further increased because of the feed force 42 a resulting from the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a and the feed forces 41 a resulting from the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a.

In this way, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 sometimes increases the skew angle of the medium P in a case where the medium P stacked in the stacking area 11 is skewed at a larger angle than the limit angle θmax or a case where the medium P becomes skewed at a larger angle than the limit angle θmax while being supplied and reaches the gate portion 12. Because of this, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 increases the causes of jams and errors in the conveyance path and so forth from supply onward.

The present invention provides a medium separating and supplying mechanism that may reduce the causes of jams and errors on the conveyance path and so forth from supply onward.

Solution to Problem

A first aspect of the present invention is a medium separating and supplying mechanism including: a side surface guide having paper sheet mediums stacked inside; a pickup roller that supplies the mediums stacked inside the side surface guide; a gate portion comprising a separation feed roller and a separation gate roller that are arranged on a downstream side of the pickup roller in a supply direction in which the mediums are supplied, form an overlap portion as a result of channels and ridges disposed in their outer peripheral surfaces overlapping one another, hold in the overlap portion the mediums supplied by the pickup roller, and separate and supply the mediums one item at a time; supply feed rollers that supply the mediums that have been separated one item at a time in the gate portion; and supply rollers that are arranged touching the supply feed rollers on the downstream side of the gate portion in the supply direction and hold and supply the mediums at contact points where the supply rollers touch the supply feed rollers, wherein the medium separating and supplying mechanism is configured such that the skew angle, with respect to a width direction orthogonal to the supply direction, of the mediums reaching the gate portion becomes smaller than a limit angle formed by a straight line that joins a contact point farthest from the center in the width direction and a point, nearest to the contact point, of the overlapping channels and ridges in the gate portion farthest from that contact point and a straight line that is parallel to the width direction.

According to the above-described first aspect, the medium separating and supplying mechanism of the present invention may suppress a situation where a medium is held by a supply feed roller and a supply roller, thereafter reaches an overlap point in the gate portion, and rotates at that overlap point in a direction in which the skew angle is increased.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the above-described aspect of the present invention, there may be provided a medium separating and supplying mechanism which, because it may increase the size of the limit angle, may suppress a situation where a medium is held by a supply feed roller and a supply roller, thereafter reaches an overlap point in the gate portion, and rotates at that overlap point in a direction in which the skew angle is increased, and in this way the medium separating and supplying mechanism may reduce the causes of jams and errors on the conveyance path and so forth from supply onward.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view showing the configuration of a conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism (1);

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism (2);

FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the configuration of the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism (3);

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a gate portion;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of a medium (1);

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium (2);

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium (3);

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of a skewed medium

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the skewed medium (2);

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the skewed medium (3);

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism in a case where the conveyance path is rendered as a straight line;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an increase in the skew of a medium;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of a medium stacked skewed more than a limit angle (1);

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium stacked skewed more than the limit angle (2);

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium stacked skewed more than the limit angle (3);

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of a medium that has become skewed more than the limit angle during conveyance (1);

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium that has become skewed more than the limit angle during conveyance (2);

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium that has become skewed more than the limit angle during conveyance (3);

FIG. 19A is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism;

FIG. 19B is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a medium separating and supplying mechanism of a first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing the size of a side surface guide;

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of a medium stacked skewed (1);

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium stacked skewed (2);

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium stacked skewed (3);

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium stacked skewed (4);

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of a medium that has become skewed more than the limit angle during conveyance (1);

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium that has become skewed more than the limit angle during conveyance (2);

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium that has become skewed more than the limit angle during conveyance (3);

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram showing the separation and supply of the medium that has become skewed more than the limit angle during conveyance (4);

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism and the configuration of a medium separating and supplying mechanism of a second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison between the conventional limit angle and the limit angle in the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a medium separating and supplying mechanism of a third exemplary embodiment (1);

FIG. 32 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the medium separating and supplying mechanism of the third exemplary embodiment (2);

FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism and configuration of the medium separating and supplying mechanism of the third exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram showing the medium separating and supplying mechanism of the third exemplary embodiment in a case where the conveyance path is rendered as a straight line;

FIG. 35 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison between the conventional limit angle and the limit angle in the third exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 36 is a schematic diagram showing a medium separating and supplying mechanism of a fourth exemplary embodiment in a case where the conveyance path is rendered as a straight line.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in relation to the drawings.

1. First Exemplary Embodiment [1-1. Configuration of Medium Separating and Supplying Mechanism]

First, a first exemplary embodiment will be described. FIG. 19A shows the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, and FIG. 19B shows a medium separating and supplying mechanism 100 in the first exemplary embodiment. The medium separating and supplying mechanism 100 has the same configuration as that of the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 10 except that the side surface guide 10 is replaced with a side surface guide 110.

The side surface guide 110 has a supply direction length L11 and a width direction length W11 that are shorter than a supply direction length L1 and a width direction length W1 of the side surface guide 10.

Specifically, the supply direction length L11 and the width direction length W11 of the side surface guide 110 are determined in the following way.

As shown in FIG. 20, PW, PH, and PD denote a supply direction length, a width direction length, and a diagonal length, respectively, of a rectangular medium P that is long in the width direction and stacked in a stacking area 111 of the side surface guide 110.

Further, θa denotes a skew angle with respect to the width direction in a state in which one pair of diagonal corners of the medium P are in contact with side surfaces of the side surface guide 110, one of the corners of the medium P is in contact with a back surface 110a of the side surface guide 110, and the medium P does not become skewed more than this, that is, a state in which the medium P is skewed the most in the stacking area 111.

Additionally, W12 denotes a length from the position at which the medium P is in contact with the back surface 110 a of the side surface guide 110 to the side surface that is farther from that position among the side surfaces of the side surface guide 100, and W13 denotes a value obtained by subtracting the length W12 from the length W11.

In this case, the relationship expressed by the following formula (1) holds true for θa, which is the angle formed by the medium P and the back surface 110 a.

θa=θb−θc   (1)

θb is an angle formed by the diagonal line of the medium P passing through the corners in contact with the back surface 110 a and the back surface 110 a, and θc is an angle formed by the diagonal line and the long side of the medium P.

Further, the relationships expressed by the following formula (2) to formula (5) hold true for θc.

tan θc=PH/PW   (2)

θc=tan ⁻¹(PH/PW)   (3)

sin θc=PH/PD   (4)

PD=PH/sin θc   (5)

Substituting formula (3) into formula (5) yields:

PD=PH/sin { tan ⁻¹(PH/PW)}  (6)

Moreover, the relationships expressed by the following formula (7) and formula (8) hold true for θb.

sin θb=L11/PD   (7)

θb=sin⁻¹(L11/PD)   (8)

Additionally, substituting formula (6) into formula (8) yields:

$\begin{matrix} {{\theta \; b} = {\sin^{- 1}\left\{ {L\; {11 \div \left\{ {P\; {H/\left\{ {\sin \left\{ {\tan^{- 1}\left( {P\; H\text{/}P\; W} \right)} \right\}} \right\}}} \right\}}} \right\}}} & (9) \\ {= {\sin^{- 1}\left\{ {L\; 11 \times {\left\{ {\sin \left\{ {\tan^{- 1}\left( {P\; H\text{/}P\; W} \right)} \right\}} \right\} \div P}\; H} \right\}}} & (10) \end{matrix}$

Thus, using formula (1), formula (3), and formula (10), θa is expressed as:

0a= sin⁻¹ {L11×{ sin { tan⁻¹(PH/PW)}}÷PH}− tan⁻¹(PH/PW)   (11)

Meanwhile, the relationships expressed by formula (12) to formula (15) hold true for θa.

cos θa=W12/PW   (12)

W12=PW×cos θa   (13)

sin θa=W13/PH   (14)

W13=PH×sin θa   (15)

The width direction length W11 of the side surface guide 110 is expressed as:

W11=W12+W13   (16)

So substituting formula (13) and formula (15) into formula (16) yields:

W11=PW×cos θa+PH×sin θa   (17)

Further, the relationships expressed by formula (18) and formula (19) hold true for θb.

sin θb=L11/PD   (18)

L11=PD×cos θb   (19)

Substituting formula (1) into formula (19) yields:

L11=PD×sin(θa−θc)   (20)

Substituting formula (3) into formula (20) yields:

L11=PD×sin(θa−tan⁻¹(PH/PW)   (21)

Consequently, the supply direction length L11 and the width direction length W11 of the side surface guide 110 are determined using formula (17) and formula (21) in such a way as to satisfy θa<θmax on the basis of the supply direction length PH and the width direction length PW of the medium P.

Note that, in a case where plural types of mediums P of different sizes are stacked in the stacking area 111 and supplied, it suffices to decide the supply direction length L11 and the width direction length W11 of the side surface guide 110 on the basis of the supply direction length L11 and the width direction length W11 of the medium P that is the smallest among the plural types of mediums P.

[1-2. Operation of Supply of Medium]

Next, the operation of the supply of the mediums P by the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100 will be described. In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, as shown in FIG. 21, when supply is started in a state in which a medium P skewed at angle θa is stacked in the stacking area 111 of the side surface guide 110, the medium P is supplied to the gate portion 12 by the pickup rollers 2.

At this time, the supply direction length L11 and the width direction length W11 of the side surface guide 110 are determined using formula (17) and formula (21) in such a way as to satisfy θa<θmax, so the medium P does not reach the gate portion 12 with the skew angle becoming larger than the limit angle θmax.

Consequently, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, as shown in FIG. 22, the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a, and thereafter the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b.

Thereafter, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, the medium P reaches the contact point 14 a between the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a, and the medium P is held by the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a.

That is, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, as shown in FIG. 23, the feed forces 41 a are applied to the medium P by the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a, and next, the feed forces 42 b are applied to the medium P by the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b, and thereafter, the feed force 42 a is applied to the medium P by the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a.

In this way, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, the medium P is not held by the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a before the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b, so the medium P may be prevented from rotating at the overlap point 31 in the direction in which the skew angle is increased.

Thereafter, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, as shown in FIG. 24, the supply feed roller 3 b and supply roller 6 b and the supply feed roller 3 c and supply roller 6 c hold the medium P, apply the feed forces 42 b and 43 c, respectively, and supply the medium P.

Next, a case where a medium P stacked in an unskewed state in the stacking area 111 becomes skewed while being supplied to the gate portion 12 by the pickup rollers 2 will be described.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, in a case where a medium P stacked in an unskewed state in the stacking area 111 as shown in FIG. 25 has become skewed while being supplied to the gate portion 12, the corners of the medium P come into contact with the side surfaces of the side surface guide 110 as shown in FIG. 26.

When the corners of the medium P come into contact with the side surfaces of the side surface guide 110, the skew angle becomes a maximum with respect to the width direction and the medium P becomes skewed only at angle θa. In this case also, the supply direction length L11 and the width direction length W11 of the side surface guide 110 are determined using formula (17) and formula (21) in such a way as to satisfy θa <θmax, so the medium P does not reach the gate portion 12 with the skew angle becoming larger than the limit angle θmax.

Consequently, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a, and next, the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b, and thereafter, the medium P is held by the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a.

That is, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, as shown in FIG. 27, the feed forces 41 a are applied to the medium P by the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a, and next, the feed forces 42 b are applied to the medium P by the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b, and thereafter, the feed force 42 a is applied to the medium P by the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a.

In this way, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, the medium P is not held by the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a before the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b, so the medium P may be prevented from rotating at the overlap point 31 in the direction in which the skew angle is increased.

Thereafter, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, as shown in FIG. 28, the supply feed roller 3 b and supply roller 6 b and the supply feed roller 3 c and supply roller 6 c hold the medium P, apply the feed forces 42 b and 43 c, respectively, and supply the medium P.

[1-3. Effects, Etc.]

As described above, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, the supply direction length L11 and the width direction length W11 of the side surface guide 100 are determined using formula (17) and formula (21) in such a way as to satisfy θa<θmax on the basis of the supply direction length PH and the width direction length PW of the medium P.

Thus, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100 may make the skew angle of the medium P less than the limit angle θmax, at which the skew angle is regarded to increase, when the medium P reaches the gate portion 12.

Because of this, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100, the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 a and the separation gate roller 5 a, and next, the medium P is held by the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b, and thereafter, the medium P is held by the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a.

Consequently, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100 may prevent the medium P from rotating at the overlap point 31 in the direction in which the skew angle is increased, which occurs as a result of the medium P reaching the overlap point 31 between the separation feed roller 4 b and the separation gate roller 5 b after the medium P becomes held by the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a. In this way, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 100 may reduce the causes of jams and errors on the conveyance path and so forth from supply onward.

2. Second Exemplary Embodiment [2-1. Configuration of Medium Separating and Supplying Mechanism]

Next, a second exemplary embodiment will be described. (1) of FIG. 29 shows the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, and (2) of FIG. 29 shows a medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 in a second exemplary embodiment. In FIGS. 1) of 29 and (2) of 29, the side surface guide 10 is omitted for convenience of description. Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 of the second exemplary embodiment, the side surface guide 110 of the first exemplary embodiment may also be used instead of the side surface guide 10.

The medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 has a configuration where, compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, a supply feed roller 203 a and supply roller 206 a and a supply feed roller 203 c and supply roller 206 c are each nearer to the center by a distance D1. Other configurations are the same except that the reference signs are different for convenience of description.

That is, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 is given a configuration including pickup rollers 200, supply feed rollers 203, separation feed rollers 204, separation gate rollers 205, supply rollers 206, shafts 207, 208, and 209, and the side surface guide 10.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200, similar to what was described above, the position, in an overlap portion 212 of a set made up of a separation feed roller 204 b and a separation gate roller 205 b that are farthest from a contact point 214 a of a set made up of the supply feed roller 203 a and the supply roller 206 a that are farthest from the center, that is nearest to the contact point 214 a is selected as an overlap point 231.

Further, the limit angle θmax of the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 is an angle formed by a straight line 232 that joins the contact point 214 a and the overlap point 231 and a straight line 233 that passes through the centers of the separation feed rollers 204 and the separation gate rollers 205 and is parallel to the width direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 30, a comparison will be made between the limit angle θmax of the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 (hereinafter this will also be called θd) and the limit angle θmax of the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 in the second exemplary embodiment (hereinafter this will also be called θe).

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200, the supply feed roller 203 a and the supply roller 206 a are nearer to the center by the distance D1 than the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a in the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, so the relationship expressed by the following formula (22) holds true.

θd<θe   (22)

Consequently, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 may increase the size of the limit angle θmax compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1.

[2-2. Effects, Etc.]

As described above, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 has a configuration where, compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, the supply feed roller 203 a and supply roller 206 a and the supply feed roller 203 c and supply roller 206 c are each nearer to the center by the distance D1.

Because of this, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 may increase the size of the limit angle θmax compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, so the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 may prevent an increase in the skew angle of the medium P more than conventionally, and in this way the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200 may reduce the causes of jams and errors on the conveyance path and so forth from supply onward.

Incidentally, in the conventional the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, the supply feed roller 3 a and supply roller 6 a and the supply feed roller 3 c and supply roller 6 c are arranged in positions farther from the center so that the medium P may be stably held.

In contrast, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 200, the disposed positions of the supply feed roller 203 c and supply roller 206 a and the supply feed roller 203 c and supply roller 206 c are determined from the standpoint of preventing the medium P from rotating at the overlap point 231 in the direction in which the skew angle is increased.

3. Third Exemplary Embodiment [3-1. Configuration of Medium Separating and Supplying Mechanism]

Next, a third exemplary embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 31 and FIG. 32, a medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 in the third exemplary embodiment is given a configuration including pickup rollers 302, supply feed rollers 303, separation feed rollers 304, separation gate rollers 305, supply rollers 306, shafts 307, 308, and 309, and the side surface guide 10.

In FIG. 32, the side surface guide 10 is omitted for convenience of description. Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 of the third exemplary embodiment, the side surface guide 110 in the first exemplary embodiment may also be used instead of the side surface guide 10.

The pickup rollers 302 are arranged on and fixed to the shaft 307 in a line in the width direction below the stacking area 11 of the side surface guide 10. The shaft 307 is rotatably supported by bearings and a fixed frame (not illustrated in the drawings).

The pickup rollers 302 have rubber disposed on part of their outer peripheral surfaces and are driven by a driver such as a motor (not illustrated in the drawings) via the shaft 307 to rotate in both forward and reverse directions (arrows 321 a and 321 b in the drawings).

The supply feed rollers 303 and the separation feed rollers 304 are arranged in the order of a supply feed roller 303 a, a separation feed roller 304 a, a supply feed roller 303 b, a separation feed roller 304 b, and a supply feed roller 303 c along the width direction on the supply direction downstream side of the pickup rollers 302 and are fixed to the shaft 308. The shaft 308 is rotatably supported by bearings and a fixed frame (not illustrated in the drawings).

The supply feed rollers 303 have rubber disposed on their outer peripheral surfaces. The separation feed rollers 304 have two grooves (channels) of a predetermined width disposed in their outer peripheral surfaces along their entire circumferential direction, whereby channels and ridges are formed in the outer peripheral surfaces of the separation feed rollers 304. The separation feed rollers 304 have rubber disposed on part of the outer peripheral surfaces of the ridges.

The supply feed rollers 303 and the separation feed rollers 304 are driven by a driver such as a motor (not illustrated in the drawings) via the shaft 308 to rotate in both forward and reverse directions (arrows 322 a and 322 b in the drawings).

The pickup rollers 302, the supply feed rollers 303, and the separation feed rollers 304 rotate synchronously via the shafts 307 and 308 because of a belt or the like (not illustrated in the drawings).

The separation gate rollers 305 are supported, in such a way as to be rotatable only in one direction (arrow 323 in the drawings), on the shaft 309 above the separation feed rollers 304. The separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305 will also be collectively called a gate portion 312.

The separation gate rollers 305 have two grooves (channels), of a somewhat wider width than the width of the ridges of the separation feed rollers 304, formed in their outer peripheral surfaces so as to be in alignment with those ridges.

Additionally, the separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305 are arranged such that the ridges of one enter (overlap) the channels of the other. The separation gate rollers 305 have rubber disposed on the outer peripheral surfaces of their ridges.

The portions where the separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305 overlap one another will also be called overlap portions 313.

The supply rollers 306 are supported on a shaft (not illustrated in the drawings) such that they touch the supply feed rollers 303 on the downstream side of the separation gate rollers 305 and apply forces that press against the supply feed rollers 303 at contact points 314. The supply rollers 306 turn in conjunction with the rotation of the supply feed rollers 303 and rotate in both forward and reverse directions (arrows 324 a and 324 b in the drawings).

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 301 having the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 33, the separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305 have one fewer channel and ridge each compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1.

Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 301, the supply feed roller 303 a and supply roller 306 a and the supply feed roller 303 c and supply roller 306 c are nearer to the center by a length D2 that is proportional to the separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305 having one fewer channel and ridge each.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300, as shown in (1) of FIG. 34, a length L21 from the supply direction rearmost end of the inside of the side surface guide 10 to the overlap portions 313 and a length L22 from the overlap portions 313 to the contact points 314 are each defined.

Additionally, considering the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 in a case where the lengths L21 and L22 are rendered as straight lines, as shown in (2) of FIG. 34, the overlap portions 313 are positioned in the position of the length L21 on the downstream side from the supply direction rearmost end of the inside of the side surface guide 10, and the centers of the separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305 are arranged in a line in the up-and-down direction.

Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300, the contact points 314 are positioned in the position of the length L22 on the downstream side from the overlap portions 313, and the centers of the supply rollers 306 are arranged in such a way as to be positioned above the contact points 314. The sum of the lengths L21 and L22 is a length L23.

Additionally, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, as shown in (3) of FIG. 34, a contact point 314 a between the supply feed roller 303 a and the supply roller 306 a, for example, which make up a set farthest from the center among the sets of the supply feed rollers 303 and the supply rollers 306, is selected.

Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300, among the sets of the separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305, the separation feed roller 304 b and the separation gate roller 305 b arranged in the position farthest from the set made up of the supply feed roller 303 a and the supply roller 306 a are selected. Additionally, the position nearest to the contact point 314 a in an overlap portion 313 b between the separation feed roller 304 b and the separation gate roller 305 b is selected as an overlap point 331.

Additionally, the limit angle θmax of the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 is an angle formed by a straight line 332 that joins the contact point 314 a and the overlap point 334 and a straight line 333 that passes through the centers of the separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305 and is parallel to the width direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 35, a comparison will be made between the limit angle θmax of the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1 (hereinafter this will also be called θf) and the limit angle θmax of the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 in the third exemplary embodiment (hereinafter this will also be called θg).

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300, the supply feed roller 303 a and the supply roller 306 a are nearer to the center by the distance D2 than the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a in the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, so the relationship expressed by the following formula (23) holds true.

θf<θg   (23)

Consequently, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 may increase the size of the limit angle θmax compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1.

[3-2. Effects, Etc.]

As described above, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 has a configuration where, compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, the separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305 have one fewer channel and ridge each and the supply feed roller 303 a and supply roller 306 a and the supply feed roller 303 c and supply roller 306 c are nearer to the center by the length D2 that is proportional to the separation feed rollers 304 and the separation gate rollers 305 having one fewer channel and ridge each.

Because of this, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 may increase the size of the limit angle θmax compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, so the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 may prevent an increase in the skew angle of the medium P more than conventionally, and in this way the medium separating and supplying mechanism 300 may reduce the causes of jams and errors on the conveyance path and so forth from supply onward.

4. Fourth Exemplary Embodiment [4-1. Configuration of Medium Separating and Supplying Mechanism]

Next, a fourth exemplary embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 36, a medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 in the fourth exemplary embodiment is given a configuration including pickup rollers 402, supply feed rollers 403, separation feed rollers 404, separation gate rollers 405, supply rollers 406, shafts 407, 408, and 409, a side surface guide 410, and a stage 450.

The pickup rollers 402 are arranged in a line in the width direction above a stacking area 411 of the side surface guide 410 and are fixed to the shaft 407. The shaft 407 is rotatably supported by bearings and a fixed frame (not illustrated in the drawings).

The pickup rollers 402 have rubber disposed on part of their outer peripheral surfaces and are driven by a driver such as a motor (not illustrated in the drawings) via the shaft 407 to rotate in both forward and reverse directions (arrows 421 a and 421 b in the drawings).

The stage 450 is positioned below the pickup rollers 402 in the stacking area 411 of the side surface guide 410, and mediums P are stacked on the stage 450. The stage 450 is moved in the up-and-down direction via a belt or the like from a power source such as a motor (not illustrated in the drawings).

The pickup rollers 402 are pressed against the mediums P stacked on the stage 450 by the force of a spring (not illustrated in the drawings) or the like and apply constant pressing forces to the mediums P.

The supply feed rollers 403 and the separation feed rollers 404 are arranged in the order of a supply feed roller 403 a, a separation feed roller 404 a, a supply feed roller 403 b, a separation feed roller 404 b, and a supply feed roller 403 c along the width direction on the supply direction downstream side of the pickup rollers 402 and are fixed to the shaft 408. The shaft 408 is rotatably supported by bearings and a fixed frame (not illustrated in the drawings).

The supply feed rollers 403 have rubber disposed on their outer peripheral surfaces. The separation feed rollers 404 have two grooves (channels) of a predetermined width disposed in their outer peripheral surfaces along their entire circumferential direction, whereby channels and ridges are formed in the outer peripheral surfaces of the separation feed rollers 404. The separation feed rollers 404 have rubber disposed on part of the outer peripheral surfaces of the three ridges.

The supply feed rollers 403 and the separation feed rollers 404 are driven by a driver such as a motor (not illustrated in the drawings) via the shaft 408 to rotate in both forward and reverse directions (arrows 422 a and 422 b in the drawings).

The pickup rollers 402, the supply feed rollers 403, and the separation feed rollers 404 rotate synchronously via the shafts 407 and 408 due to a belt or the like (not illustrated in the drawings).

The separation gate rollers 405 are supported, in such a way as to be rotatable only in one direction (arrow 423 in the drawings), on the shaft 409 below the separation feed rollers 404. The separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 will also be collectively called a gate portion 412.

The separation gate rollers 405 have two grooves (channels), of a somewhat wider width than the width of the ridges of the separation feed rollers 404, formed in their outer peripheral surfaces so as to be in alignment with those ridges.

Additionally, the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 are arranged such that the ridges of one enter (overlap) the channels of the other. The separation gate rollers 405 have rubber disposed on the outer peripheral surfaces of their ridges.

Note that the portions where the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 overlap one another will also be called overlap portions 413.

The supply rollers 406 are supported on a shaft (not illustrated in the drawings) such that they touch the supply feed rollers 403 on the downstream side of the separation gate rollers 405 and apply forces that press against the supply feed rollers 403 at contact points 414. The supply rollers 406 turn in conjunction with the rotation of the supply feed rollers 403 and rotate in both forward and reverse directions (arrows 424 a and 424 b in the drawings).

When the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 supplies the mediums P stacked in the stacking area 411, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 causes the pickup rollers 402 to rotate in the direction of arrow 421 a and supplies the mediums P stacked in the stacking area 411 to the gate portion 412.

In the gate portion 412, the separation feed rollers 404 rotate in the direction of arrow 422 a, and the mediums P are held by the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 so that only the uppermost medium P is supplied downstream by the feed forces thereof.

The medium P supplied from the gate portion 412 is held at the contact points 414 by the supply feed rollers 403 and the supply rollers 406.

The supply feed rollers 403 and the supply rollers 406 rotate in the directions of arrows 422 a and 424 a, respectively, whereby the supply feed rollers 403 and the supply rollers 406 apply feed forces to the held medium P and supply the medium P in the direction of arrow 425.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 having the above configuration, the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 have one fewer channel and ridge each compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1.

Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400, the supply feed roller 403 a and supply roller 406 a and the supply feed roller 403 c and supply roller 406 c are nearer to the center by a length D2 that is proportional to the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 having one fewer channel and ridge each.

In the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400, a length L31 from the supply direction rearmost end of the inside of the side surface guide 410 to the overlap portions 413 and a length L32 from the overlap portions 413 to the contact points 414 are each defined.

Additionally, considering the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 in a case where the lengths L31 and L32 are rendered as straight lines, the overlap portions 413 are positioned in the position of the length L31 on the downstream side from the supply direction rearmost end of the inside of the side surface guide 410, and the centers of the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 are arranged in a line in the up-and-down direction.

Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400, the contact points 414 are positioned in the position of the length L32 on the downstream side from the overlap portions 313, and the centers of the supply rollers 406 are arranged in such a way as to be positioned above the contact points 414. The sum of the lengths L31 and L32 is a length L33.

Additionally, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, a contact point 414 a between the supply feed roller 403 a and the supply roller 406 a, for example, which make up a set farthest from the center among the sets of the supply feed rollers 403 and the supply rollers 406, is selected.

Further, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400, among the sets of the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405, the separation feed roller 404 b and the separation gate roller 405 b arranged in the position farthest from the set made up of the supply feed roller 403 a and the supply roller 406 a are selected. Additionally, the position nearest to the contact point 414 a in an overlap portion 413 b between the separation feed roller 404 b and the separation gate roller 405 b is selected as an overlap point 431.

Additionally, the limit angle θmax of the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 is an angle formed by a straight line 432 that joins the contact point 414 a and the overlap point 431 and a straight line 433 that passes through the centers of the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 and is parallel to the width direction.

Consequently, in the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400, the supply feed roller 403 a and the supply roller 406 a are nearer to the center by the distance D2 than the supply feed roller 3 a and the supply roller 6 a in the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, so the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 may increase the size of the limit angle θmax compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1.

[4-2. Effects, Etc.]

As described above, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 has a configuration where, compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 have one fewer channel and ridge each and the supply feed roller 403 a and supply roller 406 a and the supply feed roller 403 c and supply roller 406 c are nearer to the center by the length D2 that is proportional to the separation feed rollers 404 and the separation gate rollers 405 having one fewer channel and ridge each.

Because of this, the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 may increase the size of the limit angle θmax compared to the conventional medium separating and supplying mechanism 1, so the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 can prevent an increase in the skew angle of the medium P more than conventionally, and in this way the medium separating and supplying mechanism 400 may reduce the causes of jams and errors on the conveyance path and so forth from supply onward.

5. Other Exemplary Embodiments

In the above-described exemplary embodiments, cases where the medium separating and supplying mechanisms 100, 200, 300, and 400 separate and supply the mediums P stacked in an ATM were described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be adapted to printers and printing presses, for example, provided that they separate and supply the stacked mediums P.

Further, in the above-described exemplary embodiments, cases where the medium separating and supplying mechanisms 100, 200, 300, and 400 were configured to perform stacking, separation, and supply, were described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the medium separating and supplying mechanisms may also be configured to perform any one of stacking, separation, and supply or may also be configured to perform two of these.

Further, in the above-described exemplary embodiments, cases where the medium separating and supplying mechanisms 100, 200, 300, and 400 already had the mediums P stacked in the stacking areas 11, 111, and 411, were described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the medium separating and supplying mechanisms may also be configured such that a user stacks the mediums P in the stacking areas 11, 111, and 411.

Further, in the above-described exemplary embodiments, cases where the medium separating and supplying mechanisms 100, 200, 300, and 400 were disposed with four pickup rollers 2, 202, 302, and 402, three supply feed rollers 3, 203, 303, and 403, two separation feed rollers 4, 204, 304, and 404, two separation gate rollers 5, 205, 305, and 405, and three supply rollers 6, 206, 306, and 406, were described. The present invention is not limited to this and may also be configured by different numbers of rollers.

For example, the medium separating and supplying mechanisms may also be disposed with one pickup roller 2, 202, 302, and 402, two supply feed rollers 3, 203, 303, and 403, one separation feed roller 4, 204, 304, and 404, one separation gate roller 5, 205, 305, and 405, and two supply rollers 6, 206, 306, and 406.

Further, in the above-described exemplary embodiments, cases where, in the medium separating and supplying mechanisms 300 and 400, the separation feed rollers 304 and 404 were disposed with three ridges and the separation gate rollers 305 and 405 were disposed with two ridges were described. However, for example, the separation feed rollers may also be disposed with two ridges and the separation gate rollers may also be disposed with one ridge.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention can be widely utilized in devices that separate and supply mediums, for example. 

1. A medium separating and supplying mechanism comprising: a side surface guide having paper sheet mediums stacked inside; a pickup roller that supplies the mediums stacked inside the side surface guide; a gate portion including a separation feed roller and a separation gate roller that are arranged on a downstream side of the pickup roller in a supply direction in which the mediums are supplied, form an overlap portion as a result of channels and ridges disposed in their outer peripheral surfaces overlapping one another, hold in the overlap portion the mediums supplied by the pickup roller, and separate and supply the mediums one item at a time; supply feed rollers that supply the mediums that have been separated one item at a time in the gate portion; and supply rollers that are arranged touching the supply feed rollers on the downstream side of the gate portion in the supply direction and hold and supply the mediums at contact points where the supply rollers touch the supply feed rollers, wherein the medium separating and supplying mechanism is configured such that the skew angle, with respect to a width direction orthogonal to the supply direction, of the mediums reaching the gate portion becomes smaller than a limit angle formed by a straight line that joins a contact point farthest from the center in the width direction and a point, nearest to the contact point, of the overlapping channels and ridges in the gate portion farthest from that contact point and a straight line that is parallel to the width direction.
 2. The medium separating and supplying mechanism according to claim 1, wherein supply direction and width direction lengths of the side surface guide are determined such that the skew angle, with respect to the width direction, of the mediums reaching the gate portion becomes smaller than the limit angle.
 3. The medium separating and supplying mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the supply feed rollers and the supply rollers that are farthest from the center in the width direction are disposed nearer to the center so that the limit angle becomes larger.
 4. The medium separating and supplying mechanism according to claim 1, wherein in the gate portion, the number of channels and ridges disposed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the separation feed roller and the separation gate roller is few so that the limit angle becomes larger. 